University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., Charles and Jill Fischer Provost John McGreevy, Executive Vice President Shannon Cullinan, and Vice President for Human Resources Heather Christophersen will share important campus updates.  Please plan to attend the session designated for your division. You are welcome to attend a different session if you have a conflict with your assigned time. For those unable to attend in person, a recording of the town hall will be available on the executive vice president’s website by Monday, October 7.TUESDAY, October 1Leighton Concert Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center10:00–10:45 a.m. Athletics, General Counsel, Office of Mission Engagement and Church Affairs, Office of Public Affairs and Communications, Institutional Research, Innovation, and Strategy, Student Affairs, Undergraduate Enrollment, University Relations, all other units reporting to the Office of the President, Facilities Design and Operations, and NDHR1:00–1:45 p.m. Centers and Institutes, Colleges and Schools, Notre Dame Global, Notre Dame Research, all other units reporting to the Office of the Provost, Finance, Information Technology, Investment, and University Operations, Events, and SafetyCarey Auditorium, Hesburgh Library10:00-10:45 p.m. Facilities Design and Operations and University Operations, Events, and Safety

Sergio FaustoExecutive Director, Fernando Henrique Cardoso (FHC) FoundationCo-Director, "Plataforma Democrática" ProjectCo-Director, "The State of Democracy in America" Collection In his talk, Fausto will discuss a set of data shedding light on structural changes that are making the so-called Bible, Beef and Bullets coalition a key factor in Brazilian politics and delve into the characteristics of each of the three main actors of this coalition. He analyzes the mutually reinforcing conservative-progressive polarization in Brazil, to what extent has it crystallized, and how it affects the Brazilian political system. His talk also will explore similarities and differences between socio and political polarization in the US and Brazil, then conclude with comments on the challenges to democracy in both countries, having the global context in the backdrop. For more information, click here. Sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

"Pieces of Me" is an autobiographical play that exposes the devastating emotional cost of living secretly as a mixed-race family under the vicious racist apartheid regime and the legacy it bore. Bo Petersen's father, Benjamin “Benny” Johannes Petersen, made a fateful decision in 1944 that would change his life forever. After meeting and falling in love with Bo's mother, who was white, he decided to pass as white. Until then, he had been classified by the South African Government as "Colored." A Colored person was a person of mixed European ("white") and African ("black") or Asian ancestry, as officially defined by the South African government from 1950 to 1991. Petersen’s parents had five children and were happily married for 62 years. They lived as a white family. Benny never told his wife or any of his children about his true identity. It was a secret that, if uncovered, would have had dire consequences for all of them. Benny could have faced 10 years' imprisonment, his marriage would have been annulled and his children taken away, reclassified and made wards of the State. "Pieces of Me" explores how Bo's father's torturous decision to pass as white has shaped her life. The play captures universal themes of exclusion, threat, and silences experienced by marginalized people throughout the world. "Pieces of Me" is Bo's renegotiation. Speakers:Welcome: Josefina Echavarría Alvarez, Professor of the Practice, Director of the Peace Accords Matrix (PAM)Actor: Bo Petersen, South African actor, writer, directorQ&A: moderated by Laurie Nathan, Professor of the Practice of Mediation, Mediation Program DirectorOriginally published at kroc.nd.edu.